Patrik Laine is living his best life -- and it's about time.
The Blue Jackets winger had been stumbling ever since the Winnipeg Jets traded him to Columbus in January 2021. That transaction -- which swapped Pierre-Luc Dubois for Laine and Jack Roslovic -- was meant to be a fresh start for Laine, but it had mostly been fresh pain. At least, until lately.
Laine landed in Columbus with all the expectation of a high draft pick (Winnipeg took him second overall in 2016) who'd scored 140 goals in his first 306 games.